UFO- Peacock Challenge Block 2010

This is the last of my UFOs slated for 2017.  I'm glad I signed up for the UFO challenge because even if I can't complete it, it has made me really prioritize what I really want to do this coming year... and this   piece is one of them and the most difficult.  This was a challenge block from 2010 and I like my concept but hate the block.  I've taken it out periodically and it is NOT working and I throw it back in the basket.  This time I've really taken a hard look at it because I was either going to fix it or scrap it entirely...

It had a moon which came and went, crystal stars which came and went, lace clouds which came and went, the fan by the silkie comes and goes, and the snow on the mountains has gone through several transformations. Plus the plan for peacock tails has changed every time I pulled it out.

 

This  was part of a 2010 challenge and had twelve VERY precise specifications it had to include.  The challenge was the brainchild of Cathy Kizarian.  I'd have to go back and check but among other things, it had to include: colors outside of our comfort zone, Asian theme, landscape, framing a silkie, curved seams, gold and glitz., layered seams, fans, paisleys, and birds etc.   Turquoise was not in my color palette at all so all this lovely turquoise fabric was sent to me by Nicki Lee.

 

After photographing it and putting in photoshop I have discovered three things that bothered me and with a good long look I could easily identify them... First and foremost is the bridge by the tree (middle left)... I put the bridge in first and added the tree and the tree looks like it is growing out of the bridge which doesn't even look like a bridge.... so with the magic of photoshop,  it 's gone and I like it better already.. Sometimes it is one thing  that paralyzes me and it takes me a while to recognize what it is...  this time it only took 7 years.  See how much better it is with it gone and maybe a bench later...or not...

 

The focal point is the maiden and the peacock..  The bridge interrupted  the flow around the block.  It will be so much better without it..and no bench

The second thing are the cherry blossoms..  Cherry blossom trees bloom profusely and mine is absolutely wimpy...  This will be an easy fix ... just time consuming but it's not like I've not done French knots before ad nauseum.

The third thing is the head of peacock by the silkie is lost against the turquoise..and again an easy French knot fix....
I want the flow of the water to echo the flow of the peacock tails...that's the plan anyway.  I have been saving jewels for the tail for years and it will be semi-steem punky...






Here it is all pinned on a board sans red bridge.

I actually joined a fan round robin with these fabrics and planned to use the fans to frame the block...


But getting rid of the lace bridge was the biggie...

We had 10" more of snow...

UFO Project - Spider round robin block

Again this was a round robin but a traditional 12" block... The theme was "spiders".  I liked   the block when it came home but always felt it could be extra special with some fine tuning so it has been languishing in my UFO basket for years.  This should be a relative quick and easy project...but I have been known to turn quick and easy into complicated and lengthy.

I love the somber colors and the leery little Miss Muffet in the center.  The brighter pinks have to go and maybe more olive green lace added (would have to dye it) and definitely more spider webs.  There are many cool spiders there already..  I can see this framed out with spiders on the border... more gold also.  I have to pin this to a board and think about it...

I have a spider quilt I bought on ebay years ago and will get it out for inspiration...When I have it out I will photograph it to share because it is a gem.

"Casket Factor"

 We all know the best part of starting a project is searching for the right embellishments and getting to fondle all our stash...  Well making the "proper ladies" into a book warrants a truly elegant  selection...  And I have so much stash that if I don't use it, it will have to be buried with me...hence the "casket factor"  This stripe is the remains of a valance that looks like real silk... I am delighted to use it..

The antique metallic lace ( lower center) I bought in London last fall.  The dealer had 4 yards and I only wanted one and she wouldn't cut it.  So of course I had to buy it all and it was expensive.. I must  use it all because looking at it languishing makes me feel guilty.

The heads of the proper ladies are a bit bulky and really need a good firm fabric for backing.  I wished I had had a really heavy velveteen in the right color.  DH had to go to a meeting for an hour yesterday so he dropped me off at the thrift store nearby.  Lo and behold I found two huge velveteen pillow shams in the right color ($1.99 for both).  And I was able to remove enough matching piping from them that will make the pages nice and firm... but I'm sure there will be plenty of velveteen leftover to add to the stash.  That's how it grows...a little goes out and more goes in...

Another item that I'm determined to use are these organza roses "by the yard".  They looked so cool when I bought them years ago but every time I tried to use them they looked so tacky.... But come hell or high water they are going on this project.

The weather has either been subzero or a blizzard.  We are just coming out of a subzero spell and expect heavy snows all week.... A good  reason for lots of comfort food...  Recently Paul on the British Baking Series made a ham and turkey pot pie which I tried with a potato crust rather than pastry.  I also add lots of roasted parsnips.  It was yummy.

I was looking for a different side dish to serve with this white cod and made  spanakopita  filled with spinach, feta, and eggs. Rather than use individual layers of filo dough I used sheets of puff pastry.  It was so easy that I will do that all the time.  Spinach is DH's favorite  vegetable (not mine) and it is a hard one to use in different ways.  I cooked up a huge bag and will use the rest of it to make gnudi on Monday...  Today is Asian Beef and Broccoli with yakisoba noodles...

On these super cold days I like to use the oven to warm up the house....  maybe banana bread  is in order also. Our house is 111 years old and is so drafty even with quilts on all the windows .

UFO projects - Proper Ladies

I haven't done any crazy quilting since I finished the anniversary quilt in early November...  There are several projects left unfinished that I'm going to do my best to finish....   Recently  I joined a UFO challenge and am going to try to finish one a month.. Among them are RR blocks of some very proper ladies.....:Pearl, Bertha, Sadie, Emma, Opal and Gertrude...

UFO #1. A book of "Proper Ladies".  I was in a round robin a few years back and the theme was "faces".  I made some faces from polymer clay and attached them unadorned  to blocks and gave each a name.  When I was a girl all the major hotels and department stores had tearooms and proper ladies wore hats and went "downtown" to lunch with their friends...   I  asked the stitchers to give their lady the hat of their dreams ...to feel free to add ribbons, feathers, birds, fruits, jewels and flowers galore.  My only restriction was No purple with red hats.  The stitchers in this round robin did a fantastic job of dressing my ladies but I never got around to doing mine.  So now I'd like finish them in style and make them into a book...

One problem is I put them on the diagonal which is the first thing to address and another is coming up with a clever cover...